Le Château de Balmoral

Jalhay, Belgium, Belgium

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Le Château de Balmoral is a grand prestige country house in Jalhay, near Spa in the Belgian Ardennes, built in 1912–1913 by Baron Jean de Crawhez and his wife Marcelle de Witte on a wooded hill overlooking the lake of Warfaaz.

Designed by architect Charles Castermans, it mixes medieval and Anglo‑Norman (English‑Norman) influences, with towers, turrets and a romantic silhouette, and has been owned over the decades by the de Crawhez and later Poswick families before being acquired by its current owner, Sandrine Derkenne, who manages it as a luxury gîte and event venue.

The château contains 17 bedrooms (including five suites) and several large reception and leisure spaces, with a capacity for around 60 seated or 150 standing guests, and can be rented as a whole for family stays, group holidays, seminars, team‑building events, weddings and other private or professional gatherings, offering a “real castle” atmosphere with fireplaces, a library, indoor and outdoor leisure facilities and views over the lake and surrounding Ardennes.

Because it is a private, fully furnished residence let out as a whole rather than a public hotel or museum, access is usually by booking the entire estate, and the site is presented as a luxury, isolated gîte rather than a traditional medieval castle or daily tourist attraction, though it sits in a region known for thermalism, outdoor activities, nature and festivals close to Spa and the Amblève valley.